Sr. Office Assistant

Department: Merchandising Operations

Summary

The Senior Office Assistant helps Michigan Tech’s campus stores create welcoming experiences for all customers. This position combines customer service with administrative and operational support, including financial transactions, inventory transfers, and online orders. The role requires attention to detail, problem-solving, and a commitment to kindness, integrity, and continuous improvement. It is based at both store locations with a flexible schedule.

Responsibilities and Essential Duties

• Greet guests and provide outstanding customer service in a professional, friendly, and courteous manner for a diverse population of internal and external customers.
• Receive, process, and complete telephone, mail, and digital communications from customers, vendors, and other stakeholders, including general inquiries and orders, while using proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation, as well as professional decorum.
• Create and update spreadsheets in support of store operations on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, to include, but not limited to: open-to-buy, gift cards, and sales.
• Independently approve and process returns and exchanges via mail and in-store.
• Operate cash registers, manage financial transactions, and balance cash drawers.
• Independently resolve store and customer-related issues or problems that arise, asking for help/guidance when needed.
• Assist with managing and maintaining store and shipping supplies by organizing and tracking supply levels and preparing orders for buyers.
• Manage all phases of the inventory transfer process between stores, to include, but not limited to: entering transfers in inventory control system, labeling boxes, loading a cart and vehicle, and transporting between stores.
• Provide a variety of administrative functions for all department staff, to include, but not limited to: data entry in inventory control system, financial processes, word processing tasks, organizing, utilizing, and maintaining sensitive documents, organizing and maintaining shared office supplies.
• Oversee cleanliness and orderliness of sales floors and stockrooms, cleaning, restocking and rearranging as needed.
• Audit merchandise on display and within operating system to recommend items for markdown. With approval, markdown merchandise in the operating system, communicate price change, tag merchandise, and place items in clearance sections.
• Assist Merchandising Coordinators with processing inventory, web orders, and customer service requirements, including, but not limited to: preparing, closing, packaging, and shipping orders.
• Work at both locations, schedule may vary to accommodate bookrush, athletic events, tourism season, other staff schedules, weekends, some holidays, and occasionally student schedules.
• Maintain a university key to open and close store facilities according to department security protocols. Also maintain assigned security access codes to stores.
• Maintain security of confidential information acquired regarding the department and its operations and prevent unauthorized access.
• Perform other duties and tasks and assist with special projects assigned by the General Manager and the Campus Store Manager.
• Commit to learning about continuous improvement strategies and applying them to everyday work. Actively engage in University continuous improvement initiatives, to include, but not limited to: participate and present Report Outs and Teach Backs for departmental AVPA meetings based on modeling, participate in annual Professional Development Day programs and lectures, attend LEAN workshops, engage with other college stores and associations professionally via various webinars, Zoom meetings, and training sessions offered.
• Apply safety-related knowledge, skills, and practices to everyday work.

 

Required Education, Certifications, Licensures

• High school diploma, or an equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and abilities can be acquired

Required Experience

• One year of experience in clerical or administrative support
• One year of experience using personal computers, basic software packages such as Microsoft Office Suite and Google Suite
• One year of experience in a customer service setting

Desirable Education and/or Experience

• Experience using advanced features of spreadsheet/database software
• Experience using Banner, Web Focus and Perceptive Content
• Experience working in higher education

Required Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abi